Junior Boys: Begone Dull Care

Begone dull care, indeed - this album's tranquilising effect is such that it should be available only on prescription. A Canadian duo who specialise in soft, smudgy electronica, Junior Boys have outdone themselves on their third album. Even at its breeziest - the opening Parallel Lines, which bobs along like an MGMT single, or Bits and Pieces, whose squelchy intro will remind Calvin Harris of his own Acceptable in the 80s - this record encourages head-nodding rather than tush-shaking. Jeremy Greenspan's emollient vocals are the icing on this particularly sweet cake; his whispered delivery transforms spiky lines such as "An empty metaphor that you savour by yourself/ You're an epicure" into lullabies. The down side to all this is that, heard in one sitting, the songs sound seamless, with the bubbly exception of the single Hazel; several listens are required before each tune reveals its techno/trance/jazz quirks. If you've got the patience, it's worth it.